Capacity Accelerator Network

The Capacity Accelerator Network (CAN), launched in 2022 with support from data.org and the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth, was a consortium led by UChicago DSI focused on advancing data for social impact curricula, with an emphasis on financial inclusion to address systemic issues of inequity.

CAN included eight partner institutions including historically Black colleges and universities, minority-serving institutions, Hispanic-serving institutions, and community colleges across the United States. While the grant period for CAN ended in 2023, this work provided the foundation for the Data Science for Social Impact (DSSI) Network.

CAN’s core activities include co-creating Data Science for Social Impact in Higher Education Playbook, an open playbook on data for social impact curriculum, and the Data Science for Social Impact Summer Experience, an 8-week undergraduate summer research experience. The Network also launched modular data for social impact programs across all eight institutions, created experiential learning partnerships with local social impact organizations, and developed an implementation plan to expand the partner network.